If you’ve been an SQ reader for a while then you’ve probably heard me talk about quinoa crispies before. I used them in my quinoa crispy treats way back in the day, and have since added them to chocolate, energy balls and granola bars.
Butttt trouble is…they’re hard to find.
My Latest Videos
Whenever I use them in a recipe, I know I’m going to get a few comments/emails about what the heck they are and where the heck you can find them.
What are Quinoa Crispies?
Quinoa crispies (or crisps) are basically the rice crispy version of quinoa. They’re essentially quinoa which has been popped in some magical machine to make it super crispy. A similar texture to rice crispies, but much smaller.
Where can you find them? Maybe if you’re lucky you can find them at a natural health food store, but I’ve never seen them there, so I always point people online. You can usually find them either on Amazon or from Edison Grainery.
Only thing is they can be a little on the pricey side, unless…
…YOU MAKE THEM AT HOME!
Yes! I figured out how to make quinoa crispies at home (shout out to my homegirl Monique from Ambitious Kitchen for sparking this idea) and I’m obsessed.
I literally make them all the time and use them for everything. They are super easy to make, all you need is 1 ingredient and 30 minutes. So easy in fact, I made you a little video 😉
How to make Quinoa Crispies?
Quinoa crispies go well on pretty much everything. I’ve been having them almost every morning on my smoothie bowls, sprinkle them on my yogurt, toss them on top of banana ice cream and use them in chocolate bars (recipe coming soon) AND energy bars (recipe coming Thursday!).
Only thing I haven’t tried them in is my quinoa crispy treats, but not to worry, that’s next on the agenda.
Your turn…
Now that you can see how easy it is to make quinoa crispies, are you going to try it? What are you going to use them for? I’d love to hear about your creations, so snap a pic and share it on Instagram using #simplyquinoa – can’t wait to see what you come up with!
xx A
p.s. think we can get a hashtag going? Just like #quinoapizza, I think we should use #quinoacrisps for anything we make with our crispies. Who’s with me? You rock!
Save this recipe for later!
Quinoa Crispies
Learn how to make quinoa crispies at home! Great for adding on top of granola, stirring into cereal, using on top of salads and so much more!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cooked quinoa or more if desired
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Transfer quinoa to a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes so as not to burn it.
- Once crispy, allow the quinoa to cool completely then transfer to a glass container and store on the counter for up to 1 week.
- Enjoy on top of smoothie bowls, stirred into your yogurt or even just a quick snack. So good!
Interested in more videos?
Come check out the Simply Quinoa YouTube channel! I have some really great recipe videos and tutorials to watch and if you don't want to miss new videos like this one, just click subscribe in the upper right hand corner!
New to cooking quinoa? Grab your FREE Quinoa Starter Guide!
Become part of the Simply Quinoa community and receive weekly emails with exclusive content that I only share in email, as well as my in-depth guide to starting your quinoa journey.
Want more quinoa recipes?
Follow my board on Pinterest!
Alyssa is the quinoa-obsessed girl behind Simply Quinoa. She's passionate about helping you find health, happiness and balance with wholesome recipes and lifestyle tips.
Megan says
This is great! Thanks!
Alyssa says
Hope you give it a try 🙂
Victor says
Ok-come on now-how ’bout Cocoa Quinoa Crispies ( with coconut?) Let
the experiments begin!
Alyssa says
Oh that’s definitely on my list!
Rebecca @ NOURISHED. the blog says
I love this idea! I’ve bought puffed quinoa before thinking that I would be kind of similar to crispy rice but it’s not. I will definitely be giving this a try!
Alyssa says
Yes! Hope you enjoy it 🙂 xo
lisa says
I tried this and love it, but it is sticking to the pan. Should I grease the pan or will this not work?
Alyssa says
Hmmm I haven’t experienced that. I would suggest you either grease the pan OR you could use parchment paper!
Dorota says
Maybe some coconut oil to give it that great coconut taste.
Lynne Lopes says
Alyssa, I love quinoa, but can no longer eat it (except I can eat flakes), because of it’s resemblance to a seed (can’t digest). When you toast the raw quinoa & it pops, does it have a rice krispie-ish consistency rather than a seed-like consistency? I’ve wanted to ask this for awhile. I can’t eat hard bits even cracked pepper (boo). If you say this is like a rice krispie you will make me very happy!!! Thanks!
Alyssa says
Hi Lynne – sorry to hear that quinoa is giving you some trouble. Unfortunately when you pop the raw quinoa it is more like a seed, but this method that I use here, it’s more like a rice crispy. Since it’s cooked before and then dried out it’s much lighter than when it’s popped raw. Let me know what you think! xo
Brooke says
Look into soaking!
Joy says
You have to wash quinoa before cooking it, but do you need to wash it for thus recipe? Will the quinoa be bitter if you don’t wash it?
Alyssa says
Feel free to wash it if you like! Since this uses cooked quinoa, I suggest you just cook the quinoa however you normally do…washed or not! 🙂
Myra Diederich says
So should I let the seeds first soak a bit in water or cook them and then bake them in the oven or do I bake them straight out of the package??
Alyssa says
Nope you use cooked quinoa to make these. So you could it like you normally would – boiled in water – and then let it cool completely and then bake. Hope that helps! xo
Karen says
Hi Alyssa. This is a fun idea so thanks for posting. Do you have to let the quinoa cool after boiling in water and before baking?
Alyssa says
Yep, it’s best to start with cool quinoa. You can speed up the process using the fridge or freezer 🙂
Donna Ross says
I’m going to make the quinoa crispies with the red quinoa I made for dinner. I assume this won’t be a problem when I make the crispies. Or will it?
Alyssa says
Nope! I’ve done it with all the colors and it works beautifully 🙂 Enjoy!
Karen says
I’ve had never heard of quinoa crisps before until I bumped onto your pin.
It’s amazing how crunchy they are and so good in my yoghurt for breakfast!
Thanks for sharing the idea.
Pinned! 😉
Alyssa says
So happy you found them! Absolutely LOVE them!!
Katrina says
Ooh yum! Can’t wait to try this.
Alyssa says
Let me know how they turn out! I just put some on my smoothie bowl this morning 🙂
Tania says
Hi, can I use the dehydrator instead of the oven?
Alyssa says
I bet you could, but I haven’t tried. Let us know if you do 🙂
Lindsey says
Thank you so much! I have wanted to try Quinoa Crisps for SO long but they are always so expensive! 🙂
Alyssa says
Yay! Can’t wait to hear what you think 🙂
Alexa says
Have you tried any added flavors to it?
Alyssa says
I haven’t, but that’s on my list! I want to make cinnamon sugar ones and also chocolate ones 😉 Let me know if you give it a try!
Jennifer Jordan says
Fantastic, so pleased I came across your site, thank you so much, looking forward to making quinoa crisps.
Alyssa says
Can’t wait to hear what you think of them, Jennifer! xo
Natmari's Corner says
I can’t wait to try this! I never heard of quinoa crispies before.
Alyssa says
Oh I think you’re going to really like them!!
Emily says
I’m obsessed with these! Thank you! I had a fantastic moment yesterday morning.
I have two girls, almost 2 and 3 1/2. My hubs does not find anything wrong with the standard American diet and so he makes sure they eat all sorts of things, including yummy sugary breakfast cereals, etc. But yesterday I was having a little bowl of these yummies with some homemade coconut milk that I had just finished, and sure enough two little girls wanted a bite. Then they needed more and more and so I had to get them each their own bowls, and then we ran out and needed to make more. That sort of thing is very satisfying to a mother 🙂
And my hubs does enjoy your other recipes. He doesn’t even know he hasn’t consumed cream of mushroom or other garbage for months! 🙂
Alyssa says
I’m SOOOO happy to hear that!! I actually think that you could play around with flavors for this too. I’m working on a post for this, but I’m thinking we could make a healthy chocolate version and probably cinnamon!
Tammy says
Hi Alyssa,
My boyfriend and I love your recipes and have made a few to great success and they’ve been super delicious! 🙂
I do have a question regarding the quinoa crispies – are they stored in a covered glass container or in an uncovered one? Thanks!!
Alyssa says
That makes me so happy, Tammy! Thrilled you guys are loving everything. And for storage, I recommend keeping them in a sealed container!
Niko says
Do I need to boil and soften the quinoa first or nah?
Alyssa says
Yes! It needs to be cooked 🙂
Dalva says
Alyssa, I tried your recipe today but my quinoa turned into something hard. Is it like this or did I make wrong?